Score This Stunning Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser In Time For Summer

Vintage off-roaders are quite sought after vehicles. Almost every dream garage would make room for a resto-modded Ford Bronco or Land Rover Defender. For most individuals, however, those cars will remain in the dream garage. A prime example of either can run into the six figures.

The original Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser can be a compelling alternative. The rugged, remarkably bullet-proof SUV has every bit of the rugged charm of those cars – some might argue there’s a tad more – and prices can be relatively reasonable. Bring a Trailer is auctioning a stunning two-door soft-top 1971 FJ40 that has not taken off…yet.

This FJ40 looks fantastic. It had a body-off bare metal re-paint in dark grey matte for a more modern finish. It has been lifted with an Old Man Emu kit and has aftermarket steel wheels with BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A tires. Specter fender flares, Hella driving lights, and front tow hooks add to the off-roading character. The interior has “Recaro-style” sport seats and marine carpeting over a spray-in bed liner. The FJ40 also comes with a new Bestop soft top and side doors.

Under the hood, the 3.9-liter inline six gasoline engine has been rebuilt with an added Weber Redline carburetor. The fuel pump has also been replaced. In case you were unaware you were operating a nearly 50-year-old off-road vehicle, it has a three-speed, column-shifted manual transmission as well as a two-speed transfer case. Judging from the video, everything seems to run smoothly.

You can, without question, plow more money into customizing a vintage off-roader. But, it will be hard to out-charm this beach-cruise-ready FJ40 which, as of this writing, one can still buy for less than $20,000.

This particular 1972 CL350 lived with its original owner until 2017, is now up for sale by its second owner and at the time of this writing, the bidding sits at a temptingly low $2,050, with no reserve.

To make this last minute purchase go smoothly, we did a little bit of combing through the more prominent rental car companies and picked out the best cars they have on offer so you can make the most of your MDW 2019.